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BTW, not to pick nits, but there is no such word in the English language, "alot." There's the phrase "a lot of" and the word, allot, but no alot.
This is one of the errors that drives me crazy.
I should add, as I mentioned, that my own writing is by no means free of errors, but here is the difference: when someone corrects me, I'm grateful (versus getting angry and defensive).
That is also one of my major pet peeves. Why do people think "alot" is a word, arggghhh!!!
That is also one of my major pet peeves. Why do people think "alot" is a word, arggghhh!!!
Thank you.
On a somewhat related tangent, another thing that drives me absolutely nuts is the constant use of "you know." Why do sports interviewees do this constantly?
I sat in one class at a state school, one of those evening, doctoral programs for teachers, and the use of "you know" "I mean" and a host of other phrases of this type, were used so often I just sat there, making cross marks every time these things were said. One evening's class resulted in over a thousand of these hatch marks.
Hillary Clinton did this in the course of an informal interview once: I counted something like 47 "you know's" in the course of a five minute interview. I actually emailed her and told her she needed to lose the "you knows."
I'm sorry, but I simply cannot take anyone seriously who is so unconscious they use these phrases constantly.
In terms of format, another is people who write great long paragraphs of stuff in forums, and don't do paragraph breaks. That's equivalent to the psychological makeup of someone who is constantly late, as if their presence is so important, everyone needs to wait for them. I simply will not read something if it's very, very long, and no paragraph breaks.
Oh, and another one which drives me crazy is the use of elisions...people who write like this...which indicates to me they're ....smoking something...which keeps them from thinking...properly.
Do people from another country who are learning English qualify as good enough to associate with you??
I really think that's an entirely different matter, and depends entirely on the circumstances. But if they're in an academic setting, they're still expected to write correctly. Otherwise, it's a different issue.
I'm not convinced that the entry about da Vinci is correct:
Leonardo Da Vinci - Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was a Tuscan polymath: scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer. As an engineer, Leonardo conceived ideas vastly ahead of his own time, conceptualising a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator, and the double hull, and outlining a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics. He also had the gift of dyslexia. Most of the time, he wrote his notes backwards. Although unusual, this is a trait shared by many left-handed dyslexic people. Most of the time, dyslexic writers are not even consciously aware that they are writing this way.
I have read that da Vinci wrote backwards to hide the nature of some of his observations (e.g., the examination of corpses for artistic purposes) because it would have gotten him into a lot of trouble with the Catholic authorities.
Oh, and another one which drives me crazy is the use of elisions...people who write like this...which indicates to me they're ....smoking something...which keeps them from thinking...properly.
Not to be nitpicky, but did you really mean ellipsis, the three dots or so you refer to above?
I'm not convinced that the entry about da Vinci is correct:
Leonardo Da Vinci - Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was a Tuscan polymath: scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer. As an engineer, Leonardo conceived ideas vastly ahead of his own time, conceptualising a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator, and the double hull, and outlining a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics. He also had the gift of dyslexia. Most of the time, he wrote his notes backwards. Although unusual, this is a trait shared by many left-handed dyslexic people. Most of the time, dyslexic writers are not even consciously aware that they are writing this way.
I have read that da Vinci wrote backwards to hide the nature of some of his observations (e.g., the examination of corpses for artistic purposes) because it would have gotten him into a lot of trouble with the Catholic authorities.
And anyway, they mispelled "conceptualizing."
It is against forum rules to cut and paste copyrighted material.
I was a professional writer and editor for years, and while I don't correct anybody's stuff on forums (unless I'm retaliating in the wake of rude behavior, just to be a snot ) I definitely notice it. There's no way I wouldn't. And, yeah, I do judge people...I'm not going to lie. Poor spelling, improper grammar usage and the like are most often the result of laziness. I now work with developmentally disabled kids, and I don't tolerate academic laziness from them, either. If my profoundly disabled students can, in most cases, spell properly the majority of the time, I've got no patience for people without those challenges who don't write properly simply because they don't care to. People who are apathetic about properly communicating fail to impress me.
If English is not your first language, fine. If you have a learning disability that gives you difficulty with grammar and spelling, fine. However, if neither of these applies to you, and there is not some other great excuse, you are making yourself look like a moron if you do not spell and write correctly. It is one of the most basic parts of life. If you can't do algebra, trig, etc. in school, it will most likely not be noticed by anyone when you graduate. People will always see your writing. People may laugh, but more importantly, they might not understand your message.
It kills me that everywhere I go I see the dreaded "alot" (it PAINS me to write that) and the apostrophes placed anywhere like they are dandelion seed. Are English teachers not even making sure students get this stuff right anymore? When I was in school we had to memorize this stuff, and worse. I'm so glad I had the teachers I did.
Yes..and how can a blind person attend college when they cannot read the books...or how does a physically disabled person go to college if they cannot take all the PE requirements. My..My...
Apples and oranges. Next.
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) I definitely notice it. There's no way I wouldn't. And, yeah, I do judge people...I'm not going to lie. Poor spelling, improper grammar usage and the like are most often the result of laziness. I now work with developmentally disabled kids, and I don't tolerate academic laziness from them, either. If my profoundly disabled students can, in most cases, spell properly the majority of the time, I've got no patience for people without those challenges who don't write properly simply because they don't care to. People who are apathetic about properly communicating fail to impress me.
